AES News

— Conference and exhibition will bring together a community of influential research scientists, engineers, VR, AR and MR developers, and content providers in an interactive, immersive environment —

The Audio Engineering Society has released preliminary details on the upcoming International Conference on Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality (AVAR), set to take place in its own online virtual venue, August 17 – 19. The event will serve as a hub of innovation for the latest research in the fields of spatial audio and technology for virtual, augmented and mixed reality, with a focus on technical solutions and recommended practices in the field. Registration for this event, sponsored by Facebook Reality Labs and Valve, and hosted by DigiPen Institute of Technology, starts at just $25 for AES members ($150 for non-members) and will be using AltSpaceVR as the platform to share keynotes, panel discussions, workshops and more. The use of AltSpaceVR offers the option of attending in standard 2D mode or as an immersive experience, utilizing AR/VR devices such as the HTC Vive, Oculus Quest, Oculus Go, Oculus Rift, Samsung GearVR, or Windows Mixed Reality. 

“The necessity to take AVAR 2020 fully online is ideally suited to the Conference content,” says Matt Klassen, Chair. “Our attendees can plug in entirely, create an avatar and participate and interact inside a virtual environment. One of the primary advantages of holding the conference in VR is the very compelling nature of the 3D audio for small group conversations – a big step up from flat screen teleconferencing!”

Co-chair and Treasurer Lawrence Schwedler adds, “Not only will AVAR 2020 explore practical and effective production workflow for audio production for immersive experiences, it will itself be such an experience and demonstrate an application of the technology that couldn’t be more timely.”  

The 2020 AES Conference on Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality builds upon the AES’s two previous AVAR conferences and will offer a fresh look at audio production for these rapidly growing market segments. This year’s topics will include spatial audio capture, rendering, synthesis over headphones and loudspeakers, binaural applications, Ambisonics, 3D audio mixing and content production, sound design for VR/AR and more, plus a featured Panel Discussion with Emily Ridgway of the Valve audio team on August 18 titled “When Worlds Collide: Audio Development of the Valve Index and Half:Life Alyx.” Additionally, two keynote addresses will take place during the conference: “New Audio Realities at Scale” with Varun Nair of Facebook on August 17 and “Empathetic Technology and Embodied User Experience” with Poppy Crum of Dolby on August 19.

The AES AVAR 2020 Conference is organized by committee members from a variety of disciplines and experiences in the industry, including Matt Klassen, Chair; Lawrence Schwedler, Co-chair, Treasurer; Pablo F. Hoffmann, Papers Chair; Sally Kellaway, Workshops Chair; Greg Dixon, Audio/Visual Coordinator; Randi Ganulin, Graphic Designer/Photographer; Phillip Klassen, Social Media Coordinator; Anna Lantz, Webmaster; and Dustin Williams, Volunteer Coordinator.

For further information, registration links and more, visit aes.org/conferences/2020/avar/.